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New Features at MindMeister

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Please note: This article was last updated in 2010 so some of the content will be outdated. For the latest product updates, please visit the blog homepage: focus.meisterlabs.com

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We’re happy to report that our latest system deployment that occurred over the weekend took less than our estimated 1 hour of downtime, and includes a few HTML5 based features you’re sure to enjoy. Let’s take a look at what’s new, as well as an update on our Offline Mode feature.

Wait, what?

timeOne of the most exciting (and requested) features we’ve added to this update is a wait queue. Allow me to explain: Ever had that moment of, “But I’m pressing tab…where’s my new node?” only to see the dreaded gauge in the bottom right corner reading red? This red bar indicates that your mind map is communicating with our servers, but is having difficulty making the connection. To circumvent this, we’ve implemented a client-side queue of your changes. What this means is that you’ll no longer have to wait for a response from our servers to perform actions any longer (i.e. add or delete nodes, add an icon, etc.) These queued changes are then sent to the servers whenever the connection is strong and stable. For most users, this feature will never be needed, but for those occasional times of connective issues, this addition should prevent any waiting time. This feature currently only works with non-shared maps.

More Drag and Drop

linkBuilding on our popular drag-and-drop images and attachments feature, we’ve now applied the same function to links. From a different browser window, not tab, simply drag the URL to the node that you’d like to link to, and presto – instant link insertion. Say goodbye to copy/paste!

Really Simple mapS

rssUsing an RSS feed reader? Maybe even a ticker like Snackr, or a tabbed browser mashup like RockMelt? If so, you’ll love our new RSS feed for My Maps addition. You’ll need to be logged into MindMeister to have access to this feature, but it’s a great way to get to your maps in a flash, as well as keeping tabs on any Wikimaps you might be requesting input on. Simply click on the RSS icon in your browser navigation bar, and select “My Maps on MindMeister.” Remember, this feature will only work when logged in.

bugIn addition to the aforementioned features, we’ve also implemented a number of performance upgrades, a few of which now make the waiting queue possible. Likewise, there were a few bugs here and there that needed to be addressed. They’ve been exterminated, but if you come across anything that isn’t working quite right, we want to know about it.

Unilogin Support

Our Danish users will be happy to know that they may now login to MindMeister using the existing Unilogin account. For details on how this works please contact our partner LaerIT in Denmark.

Offline Mode

offlinemodeMany of you have requested an update on our offline mode.

We’re happy to report that we’ve managed to implement a fully HTML5 based solution. It’s almost ready to go, we’re only putting it through its paces behind the scenes, ensuring a smooth and pain-free experience on your end once we return the feature to use. We’re shooting for a December 18th release date, but again, we want to make sure that no user data will be lost, as well as test a few mechanisms that make everything work nicely together. Thanks again for your continued patience during this process. We realize that a number of you depend on the offline mode, and we’re working as fast as we can to bring this tool back to you ASAP.